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Voorhees hosts emergency management exercise

March 18, 2014

By: David Mathis

Voorhees College shows its commitment to training future emergency management leaders by hosting its first emergency management full-scale exercise on Wednesday, March 26 at the Leonard E. Dawson Health and Human Resources Center beginning at 7 a.m.

The purpose of this exercise is to provide Voorhees students and participants with the knowledge, skills and abilities to handle emergency management hands-on ground operations when dealing with disasters. This exercise will also improve preparedness and response capabilities for chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive (CBRNE) hazards, whether accidental or intentional.

"This exercise will provide participants with something tangible to take back to their counties, colleges or schools, to correct any developing adverse trends that may impact resources and operations," said Rodney Boyd, assistant professor of emergency management at Voorhees.

The morning exercise will use a scenario that will result in disruptive and safety concerns based on a train colliding with a parked train in the town of Denmark.

Robert D. Steadman, South Carolina statewide interoperability coordinator for the Division of State Information Technology, will be the guest speaker for the afternoon exercise beginning at 3 p.m.

Voorhees College is the only HBCU in South Carolina to offer a major in emergency management. Located not far from the Savannah River, which is a major site that processes and stores nuclear materials, and also other areas such as the Port of Charleston, the geographic location played a big part in Voorhees creating its emergency management program.